The Beat Up
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Brendan Martin

Brendan Martin
Kevin McDonald

Kevin McDonald

I've had the opportunity to meet and talk to some pretty cool people in my life. I don't ask for pictures because of some combination of not wanting to bother them and also wanting to keep a professional relationship (as unlikely as whatever that might be)

By Brendan Martin 25 Jun 2026
DCM (22) '26

DCM (22) '26

Preface: Feel free to skip this if you're just looking for a review. My very personal two-word review of the 22nd Del Close Marathon is: Still sober. Which can mean many things, but at the very least, I think they are all positive. When I am having

By Brendan Martin 18 Jun 2026
A blue wooden door is cracked to see a verdant world beyond.

Endings and Beginnings

This is a song about a couple of adult people who have spent Oh, quite a long time together 'Til one day, one of 'em gets restless and decides to leave Whether it's the man or woman who left is unimportant It's a breakup

By Brendan Martin 12 Jun 2026
Happiness is a Practice

Happiness is a Practice

I had a hard tiring week for a variety of reasons, so this week is going to be short and I am not, despite the title of this blog, going to beat myself up about it. The way I write, I tend to put little ideas into my drafts folder

By Brendan Martin 04 Jun 2026
Gratitude for Gifts

Gratitude for Gifts

The night of my first jam, when I was just starting out—I think I was still in core classes, partway through 501 —I met this kid, Logan, who came in off the street: never improvised, never seen a show, totally fresh. He'd heard about improv and wanted

By Brendan Martin 28 May 2026
How to get Reps When You Can't-Be-Reppin'

How to get Reps When You Can't-Be-Reppin'

It's to the chagrin of many students that ultimately reps are what stand between you and mastery of a skill, but the reps you need may be all around you. Near the end of my core curriculum days, I was out with a teacher, and we got to

By Brendan Martin 22 May 2026
The Hangover

The Hangover

A few months ago, I was walking with another performer to Brass Tap, a bar/restaurant in Baltimore, after the shows. As a quick aside, I do frequently go to bars or other places that serve alcohol. If the existence of bars could, in and of themselves, make me drink,

By Brendan Martin 14 May 2026
Justification - Part 1

Justification - Part 1

As I write this, I just got back from a 201 showcase, which is where the game is introduced in my theatre, and it was so much fun. It was off-the-wall bananas. One of the scenes was basically two rappers treating the Little Mermaid as a documentary, so

By Brendan Martin 07 May 2026
Framing - Part 1

Framing - Part 1

And whatever they say on your page three mention Focus on the parts that make you feel good Be grateful for the attention I am such a good storyteller that I can convince myself that no one in my life likes me. I am such a great actor that I

By Brendan Martin 30 Apr 2026
Game - Part 1

Game - Part 1

As I write this, I am recovering from a weekend of workshops given by Elana Fishbein in DC and Baltimore, so while I had a bunch of other thoughts about Game when I originally put this into drafts, I think a lot of those thoughts are still marinating in Fishbein.

By Brendan Martin 23 Apr 2026
A human covered in a sheet with eye holes, universally considered to be a ghost, sits next to a car missing all its tires.  The ghost seems to have been hit upon the hear

Unusual Things - Part 1

If Improv is a fire, the base reality is the fuel: The tinder, kindling, sticks, branches, and logs. The game is oxygen. The first unusual thing is the spark, the source of ignition. One interesting exercise is that unusual things can be found by yes, anding within the base reality.

By Brendan Martin 16 Apr 2026
On Base Reality - Part 1

On Base Reality - Part 1

Ambitious to call this Part 1, but I thought I'm pretty sure I'll have other things to say about base reality eventually. I recently heard, at least in Alberta, that some people call "Base Reality" "Platform," which I think is such a

By Brendan Martin 09 Apr 2026
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The Beat Up

When I was in rehab, I started talking and telling my story, and people laughed and told me I should "do that" — "that" being talking in front of people and making them laugh. I decided to try Improv

The Beat Up
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